Cystic fibrosis--an eleven year survey.

The purpose of this communication is to review our experiences with children 
with cystic fibrosis seen from January 1964 to January 1975 and 
to analyse the factors which have contributed to the improved prognosis 
which has occurred in this period. The numbers of new patients 
have increased from six in 1964 to 12 in 1974. Both 
sexes have been equally affected. Respiratory infections, failure to thrive and 
diarrhoea were the predominant presenting features in that order, and thus 
any one of these presenting features should indicate that cystic fibrosis 
should at least be considered and excluded. Each patient was assessed 
monthly at the clinic during which attendance formal physiotherapy was carried 
out and the parents were instructed in the techniques of percussion 
and drainage. Forty-two of our sixty-four patients are still alive and 
thirty-three of those fall into the excellent category, seven into the 
good and one each into the fair and poor. During the 
period of this review there has been an obvious improvement with 
a fall in morbidity and mortality and with the increasing proportion 
of patients now in the "excellent" group. We attribute these facts 
to earlier diagnosis, regular and careful follow-up and a supervised therapeutic 
programme including parent education and participation. It would seem, therefore, that 
early diagnosis and active treatment prolong life and give better health. 
